The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1887-11-16

ODeyed ana waited upon my sister with /
willing dog like devotion, and there was
no reason to hesitate how. My destina-
tion lay about four miles distant over the |
same Rosenheim route which had lately |
followed to Munich. ! found Dorothy |
better, but much depressed by an illness |
that was more mental than bodily.
'1'm fretting myself to death, Tom,
dear" she said 'And you must help
me you always do, you know
Lying in hammock in sheltered
nook in the beautiful garden, my sister
began to pour her tale of woe into my
ears. The sympathetic tender little
heart was breaking itself over the troubles
of somebody else; very humble person
age, the Frau Baronin's maid, who had
been arrested for theft.
'G'm sure the poor girl is innocent"
Dolly declared; ''but must tell you the
whole story. Baron Won Glasow has-or.
rather, had, until last Wednesday, when
the loss was discovcred-a very curious
st. Andrews cross, old rs the hills, be-
lieve, given to a remote ancestor for in
Producing new shape of beer-mug, or
for killing Frenchman, or some heroic
deed of that kind. At any rate it was
very valuable, for its antiquity, and for
its intrinsic worth, which was not at all
to be sneezed at-solid gold, beauti-
fully wrought, with splendid diamond,
pure rs II dewdrop, set deep in the gold
On Wednesday evening, when the
Baronin asked for it to wear to dinner
party, 10 and behold, it was not to be
found Suspicion fell at once on the
Baronin's maid, the only person who had
access to her mistress's jewel-case. Some
of the other servants swore to having
seen the maid in church with the cross
round her neck half hidden in her lace
scarf-an accusation which she did not
deny"
''It looks very much as if they had ar
rested the right person." replied.
"Now, Tom, you are not to think any
thing of the kind, " answered my tyrant.
That poor girl is innocent, I'm fully
convinced, and you must share my con-
viction. She is so pretty and modest,
and with such winning manner"
"The most dangerous kind" l muir
INJURED to myself.
"She pleaded her innocence with such
dignity and straightforward honesty that
she won my heart completely"
80 it appears
"Now, you flinty hearted creature,
you must look into this case and get the
girl pardoned," continued my relentless
taskmistress, 81 shall never know mo-
ment's peace or health again if she is
condemned to the two years, imprison-
ment they talk about"
Really, my dear Dolly, how can l
hope to find"
''No objections, if you please, sir.
You can surely get lawyers to find her
innocent. Poor thing, this is not her
only trouble. The one relation she had
in the world, her old grandfather, of
whom she was very fond, disappeared
from his home lately, and no trace of him
can be found. Erika-that is the girls
name; it means health, you know-fears
he has come to some bad end, and it looks
very likely They come of very re-
spectacle family in Distelberg, the little
village yonder, of which you can Just see
the church-spire through the trees, and
| these two"
"Erika - Distelberg - that was the
name of the village the old fellow said he
lived in-very odd" 1 exclaimed; ''and
Erika, the girls name"
"What old fellowW
"Oh, nothing, nobody-only l fancy
l can tell Erika something about heI
grandfather.
''In that case yon must 90 to the prison
at once; admission will be easy to get, and
the poor girl will be so glad to have your
news. You can tell me about it after.
wards"
| feared my communication would
scarcely cause JOY if my conjectures were
right. As soon as it could be arranged,
visited the prisoner, accompanied by
the housekeeper from the Schloss She
protested her innocence in way that,
coufess, won me over in spite of my bet.
! ter Judgment. She bewailed her wrong
| doing in Wearing her mistress's property
to church that morning; but it was st.
Basils Day, the patron saint of some one
she loved very much, and she wished to
/ honor the festival by saying her prayers
with that beautiful cross in her hands 1t
/ had been but II foolish fancy, perhaps,
and she had been bitterly punished for it.
! She had restored the cross safely to it,
case afterwards, and had never seen il
since.
n hGN SuSpiClOh bSSdh W SlldpC llsCll
in my mind, and l turned the CONVERSE
tion upon the subject of the missing
grandfather. 1t was soon proved beyond
a doubt that he and the old man had
met ON the train were identical. Ihated
to tell Erika the whole truth about him
but even this was better than the uncer
tainty which wore upon her as much as
the disgrace of her present situation.
''My poor grandfather, my last faith,
full friend gone: But I'm thankful he
cannot see me here, she added. 81
never saw him in better spirits than the
last day he came to visit me at the
Schloss. He laughed like little child
whenever he looked at me, and kept re
peating over and over again that he
would see me happy before he died, md
that fortune was nearer than l supposed
You see, sir, " she said, with blush, 60
was engaged to forester on the Herr
Baron's estate in Styria, and my poor ole
grandfather was always fretting at tn,
thought that he would die before we haC
saved enough money to marry on. Al
me Basil must let me go now, since al
the world believes me guilty of thi'
theft
"Did your grandfather make this visi
after you had worn the cross at tht
church, or before2" | asked.
"Oh, long after, sir. He saw me pu
the cross safely away in its case. If h,
were only here TO swear to that"